S. Korea to secure 5 mln more doses of flu medicine

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will purchase 5 million doses of Tamiflu before the end of the year, enough to treat over 10 million people with antiviral drugs, the prime minister's office said Monday.

The decision came hours after President Lee Myung-bak called for all-out efforts
to increase the supply of drugs to treat Influenza A after a recommendation from
health authorities that the country needs to double its stock.
"After receiving a report that the new flu could rapidly spread in October or
November, the president said the government must make its utmost effort to secure
a sufficient supply of treatment drugs, including Tamiflu," Lee Dong-kwan, a
spokesman for the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said in a press briefing.
As of Monday, more than 3,000 South Koreans have been diagnosed with the new H1N1
virus since it was first reported here in May. About 1,000 patients are currently
being treated at hospitals or in their homes.
Seoul currently has enough Tamiflu to treat some 5.31 million people, about 10
percent of the country's population. An additional 5 million doses will put the
total at 10.31 million, enough for 20 percent of the population.
The government will seek a budget of 125 million won (US$100,000) to purchase the
drugs, officials said.
Amid rising demand for flu shots, health authorities are doling out anti-viral
drugs across the nation as the back-to-school season nears. Local elementary,
middle and high schools kicked off a new term last week or are set to open this
week.
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said bundles of Tamiflu and
Relenza, anti-viral prescription drugs to treat those with or at risk of
contracting the contagious disease, would be supplied to local public health
centers between Monday and Tuesday. It said the added supply should be enough to
treat some 250,000 people.
Facing an increased rate of infections, the ministry has over the past two weeks
distributed batches of anti-viral medicines to treat up to 270,000 people.
"The latest distribution is aimed at replenishing vaccine stocks for designated
hospitals and drug stores that depleted their inventories due to a rise in
infections," a ministry official said.
A spike in the number of cases has forced dozens of schools to cancel classes or
put off planned opening for the fall semester, while others are being told to
refrain from large school gatherings.
The number of schools opting to keep their doors closed is expected to grow in
the coming months as they make efforts to guard against a spread of the virus as
an increasing number of students return from summer study abroad. The majority of
flu cases to date have involved inbound travelers, though fears are mounting over
an increasing rate of community transmission.
Two middle-aged South Koreans died of flu-related complications in mid-August,
marking the first fatalities in the country since the first reported case three
months earlier.
bdk@yna.co.kr